The Watertown Department of Public Works will be examining the fire hydrants in town for leaks, and while the hydrants will have a “out of service” covering on them, the hydrants will still be operational in an emergency.
The leak detection survey will begin on Monday, Sept. 28, 2020, and will be conducted by the DPW and contractor Liston Utility Services. The work is expected to take about three weeks.
To do the survey, microphones will be placed on the fire hydrants to listen for leaks, said Town Engineer Matthew Shuman.
“Canvas ‘out of service’ bags will be placed over hydrant during this process, this is only to protect the microphone,” Shuman said. “Police and Fire have been advised of the work. All hydrants can quickly be placed in service if needed in an emergency.”
Typically, microphones are placed on two hydrants at a time and will not likely take more than a couple of hours to test those hydrants, Shuman said. Watertown has about 1,000 fire hydrants.